True To Your Heart
by waterlily216
Summary: [COMPLETE] A curse is inflicted on Inuyasha so that he changes into a dog whenever he sneezes. Needing to break the curse before Christmas, his true love has to kiss him & say I love you...too bad his true love hates his guts. InuKag MirSan Please R&R!
1. The Curse

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: A new story! Woohoo! I'm going to enjoy writing this fanfic! This story is mostly pointed toward humor, but there's some romance in it (figures). Unlike my other fanfictions, this fic will be pretty short because it takes place in, and only in, the month of December.

Inuyasha is featured as his regular hanyou self in this story (silver hair, claws, amber eyes, dog ears) and for once, Kikyo isn't a love rival in the story! I'm sure several of you are happy about that.

Anyways, read, enjoy, and please review!

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Disclaimer: Like in most of my other fanfictions, I'm only going to say this once.

"I, Waterlily216, do NOT own Inuyasha. Never did and never will."

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Chapter 1: The Curse

**:&:o:&:o:&: Thursday, December 1 :&:o:&:o:&:**

It began like any other day for him as he walked home from high school.

A silver-haired hanyou strode home slowly in the cold December weather, cursing at the cold temperature when he sneezed.

"I hate winter," he growled to himself. "My nose is the most sensitive during this season."

He sneezed again.

Damn it. He was catching a cold. Without a second thought, he broke out into a run. He headed in the direction of the park…a great short-cut. As reached the entrance of the park, he slowed down to a regular walking pace.

He wrapped the scarf that hung around his neck tighter and made his strides longer. All he wanted to do was go home, start up the fireplace, settle down on a couch and drink a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate with a single marshmallow on top.

He shivered. It was only the first day of December and already, the skies were cloudy gray, threatening to rain or even snow.

"I just wanna go home," he sighed deeply.

It was then that a shrill shriek filled the air. Being a half dog-demon made him very sensitive to sound, so when he heard the scream, his dog ears flattened against his head and he winced.

"Aiee!" a feminine voice wailed. "I'm all wet!"

As he rounded the corner, he caught sight of the source of the yelling. It was a teenage girl with long, straight, black hair that reached a little past her waist…and the fact that she was sitting in a large puddle of rain water made him laugh for some apparent reason.

The girl opened up cold brown eyes and glared at him.

"_What's so funny_?" she asked thickly.

He just continued laughing. The girl growled and made a move to stand up, but ended dropping into the water again with a loud splash. She scowled. He laughed harder.

"Why, you…" she trembled with anger and embarrassment. "YOU BASTARD!"

He stopped laughing and started to growl. Bastard? He'd let _no one_ call him a bastard.

"What was that, wench?" he asked furiously. "You wanna shoot that last comment by me again?"

"You and your language," the girl said sharply back. She stood up from the puddle and stepped out of it carefully. "If you don't want me calling you bastard, then tell me your name."

He answered, "Inuyasha."

"Well, then, _Inuyasha_," she sniffed. "Don't call me wench because my name is Kikyo."

"Wench suits you better," he mumbled under his breath.

She glared at him again, "What was that?"

"Nothing," he said with an innocent look.

Kikyo eyed him suspiciously and then shook her head, "Anyways, you're so rude, laughing at someone like that when they fall in a puddle."

"Well," he yawned. "The fact that it was you who fell made it funny."

Kikyo's hands balled up into fists. This bastard. He really was rude, no doubt about it. She'd have to teach him a lesson.

"Anyways, I'll be heading home right now. I shouldn't be wasting my time talking to some wench in the cold weather while I could be at home in a nice warm room drinking hot chocolate," Inuyasha remarked dryly, starting to walk past her.

"Arg…" Kikyo's anger boiled up inside her. He'd called her wench again. She stared venomously at Inuyasha as he continued strolling down the path of the park. When she saw him sneeze, an idea popped into her head. She started cackling.

Inuyasha stopped in mid-step and turned around with an annoyed look.

"Would you stop it with that awful laughing of yours?" he said flatly. "It's giving me a headache."

Kikyo smiled evilly in response and said, "With all my miko powers vested within me, I place a curse on you, one that shall not be broken until both true love's first kiss is received and the words "I love you" fall upon their lips!"

Inuyasha stared at her for a long before saying, "Are you a lunatic?"

She fumed, "Okay, you know what, _buster_? I'll make it harder for you then. The person will have to say "I love you" first and then kiss you second in that precise order, in the same moment! Both things will have to be filled with true felt love and it all has to happen while you're in your hanyou form!"

"You're," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "A hopeless romantic, aren't you?"

Kikyo restrained herself from strangling him. She smiled shakily, "You didn't hear what the curse was."

Inuyasha turned his back on her once again and started walking off once more, "This is all absurd. I don't believe a word you just said."

"The curse is," she laughed. "That you will change into a dog every time you sneeze…and only sneezing again will change you back to your regular form."

Kikyo smiled smugly, "_And_, if the curse isn't broken in four weeks-this week included-right before it's December 25, you'll remain a dog forever."

By coincidence, Inuyasha sneezed at that moment.

"What the-!" he exclaimed. A tingling feeling vibrated through his body. His eyes shut tightly when an overwhelming pain came over him next.

The next moment he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw were his hands…or rather, paws. He opened his mouth to scream in terror, but all that came out was a loud bark.

'I really did change into a dog when I sneezed,' Inuyasha realized in horror.

"Aw," Kikyo cooed, now towering over him. "You're so cute! A dog with a nice coat of white fur and with nice amber eyes!"

As if he didn't _have_ the amber eyes before?

Inuyasha growled, which came out as a dog growl and looked down at himself. His clothes had vanished...or in other words, he was dog naked.

'Ah!' his eyes shut closed. 'My clothes are gone!'

As if Kikyo read his mind, she said, "Don't worry about your clothes. Every time you change into a dog, everything you're wearing will disappear, but when you change back into your regular form again, the things you wore last time will be back on you again."

She sighed, "I'm not _that_ cruel."

Not that cruel? Not that cruel! Placing this curse on him was cruel enough!

Kikyo turned her attention back onto him and kneeled down in front of him so she was at eye level with him. She tickled his nose. He sneezed. This time, all he felt was the tingling sensation through his body. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that he was back in his regular form-and yes, with his clothes and backpack on…the last things he'd worn.

"Your nose is so sensitive," Kikyo remarked. "That'll make you vulnerable to sneezing a lot. And about that pain you felt when you changed into a dog…don't worry about it. You shouldn't feel it again the next time you change. You only felt the pain because it was the first time when the curse took affect."

"Gee, that's nice to know," Inuyasha replied back sarcastically. Kikyo glared at him and reached out and tickled his nose before he could do anything about it. He sneezed again.

'Aw, crap,' his eyes shut again as the tingling feeling went through his body again. True to Kikyo's word, however, Inuyasha did not feel any of the pain that he had experienced the last time.

When he opened his eyes, he was, as expected, in his new dog form again.

"You really are cute!" Kikyo squealed, ruffling the fur on his head, which earned her a growl. "Okay, because of that, I'll give you a little hint about who your true love is."

She leaned in closer and pointed at his eyes with an index finger.

"Look out for the gray-blue eyes," she said simply. When he barked something, Kikyo blinked. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

She reached out and tickled his nose. Inuyasha changed into his regular form again in a brief moment.

Kikyo smiled happily, "The more you change back and forth between your two forms, the faster your transformations should be. So, eventually, you'll be able to switch to a form in only half a second."

Inuyasha ignored her statement and then exclaimed, "Do you have any idea how many people have gray-blue eyes!"

Kikyo just shrugged back, "You'll know who it is when you meet her."

"I'm sure glad it's not you," he spat, standing up. "If it were you, I think I would rather stay a dog for the rest of my life."

Kikyo's eyebrows furrowed together as she glared at him again. Inuyasha took that as a warning sign and dashed off before she could say anything else-or do anything else-to him.

* * *

­"I'm home," Inuyasha said loudly. He took off his shoes at the doorway and made his way to his room. Once he reached it, he threw his backpack onto his bed before making his way to the kitchen.

He quickly went to the cabinets and began making hot chocolate. A few minutes later, as he stirred the thick liquid with a spoon, the voice of the girl, Kikyo, echoed through his head.

_With all my miko powers vested within me, I place a curse on you, one that shall not be broken until both true love's first kiss is received and the words "I love you" fall upon their lips._

Inuyasha plopped a marshmallow into the slightly steaming mug and grimly made his way to the living room. Once there, he sunk into an armchair, and took a sip of the hot chocolate. In front of him, the fireplace crackled with life, shimmering a warm yellow, red, and orange. Inuyasha stared into the flames.

He couldn't believe it. The curse was real. He had actually changed into a dog when he sneezed.

"This 'curse business' is all ridiculous," Inuyasha grunted. "Absolutely ridiculous."

He brought the mug to his mouth and took a large sip-which he nearly spat out when a furry and heavy bundle collided with his head.

"Yashie!" a young boy's voice piped happily.

Inuyasha responded with a choke.

After several coughs, he reached behind him with the hand that wasn't holding the mug, and grabbed hold of the tail of the fox demon child that clung to his head. When they were face to face, Inuyasha snapped, "Shippou, you moron! You almost made me choke to death!"

Shippou chirped, "That was my goal to begin with!"

Inuyasha glared at the small demon before him. Shippou's green eyes glared back and then he jiggled around to get free.

"Let me go!" Shippou whined.

Inuyasha's hold switched from Shippou's tail to his ponytail, held up by a turquoise colored bow.

"OW! OW! OW!" Shippou cried out, grabbing onto his dark orange hair. "That hurts!"

After several minutes more of complaining, Inuyasha was satisfied and let go of Shippou, who then landed onto Inuyasha's lap.

"One more thing," Inuyasha said as he gave a small punch on Shippou's head. "Don't call me Yashie. How many times have I told you that?"

Shippou's tail waved back and forth, "Dozens of times, _Yashie_."

The fox child whimpered when Inuyasha's fist contacted with his head again.

Inuyasha sighed and sat back in the chair. Regardless of their fighting, he and Shippou were very close to one another. Shippou, along with a young human girl named Rin, was adopted by his brother Sesshoumaru a year ago. Sesshoumaru took favor with Rin, not really noticing that he'd made Shippou the outcast. So, out of sympathy, Inuyasha started to talk with the fox demon and soon, Shippou was like a brother to him-even though, technically, Shippou was really his nephew. The only strange thing was that Shippou was more of a brother to Inuyasha than Sesshoumaru had ever been.

"So how was your day today?" Shippou asked, settling himself into a comfy position on Inuyasha's lap. "The usual?"

Inuyasha stiffened. Shippou felt it.

"What happened, Inuyasha?" he asked with concerned eyes. "Was it bad?"

"Yes."

"Well, what is it?"

Inuyasha hesitated, "Swear you won't tell anyone."

"I swear!" Shippou chirped, his tail waving back and forth.

"No, really, you _have_ to. You have to promise you won't tell _anyone_. Not anyone in this house, not anyone outside this house. This is a big secret. Got it?"

"Jeez, I got it! Now go on!"

Inuyasha took a long drink of hot chocolate and then said simply, "I'm cursed."

Shippou stopped wagging his tail, "_That's_ your secret?"

Inuyasha began muttering curses underneath his breath, "_Yes_, that's my secret. I'm really cursed! This dumb girl placed a curse on me that makes me change into a dog every time I sneeze!"

Shippou blinked. Inuyasha waited impatiently for a response.

"Well?" he asked gruffly. "You don't have anything to say?"

"Nope," the fox demon child piped. "But I do have something to _do_."

With that said, Shippou turned around so that his tail was facing Inuyasha's face and then he wildly flapped his tail against Inuyasha's nose.

ACHOO!

Shippou stared open-mouthed in shock. One moment, his uncle stood in front of him…the next, a white-haired dog. Not knowing what to do, he did the first thing that came to mind. He burst out laughing.

"OH. MY. GOSH!" Shippou gasped between giggles. "It's true. You really _do_ change into a dog every time you sneeze!"

The dog-or rather, Inuyasha-barked…which just made Shippou laugh harder. Inuyasha wandered over to Shippou's tail, buried his nose in it and felt his nose twitch.

ACHOO!

Shippou, who by now was rolling on the floor laughing his head off, wiped the tears from his eyes and let out a scream when he felt himself being picked up off the floor.

"Just _who_ were you _laughing_ at?" Inuyasha gritted through his teeth as he held Shippou by the tail.

"Why, you, of course," Shippou replied innocently, which earned him three punches on the head. "Ow…"

"If you do that again, I'll find a way to send you back to that orphanage where you came from!"

With that threat floating in the air, Shippou didn't dare say another word.

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Friday, December 2 :&:o:&:o:&:**

It was the next day. The curse was harder to hide than he'd thought. It being December, it was freezing cold everyday, which made him vulnerable to sneezing at any second. It was difficult enough to keep the curse from his brother Sesshoumaru, who'd almost found out about the curse the other day when Inuyasha sneezed at the dinner table. Luckily, he was able to escape the room while Shippou quickly distracted Sesshoumaru and Rin before they saw anything.

"What if I sneeze during school today?" Inuyasha grumbled as he walked to school. "Then everyone will know about the damn curse…they'll probably blackmail me with it too so I'll have to do stuff for them."

He let out a frustrated yell and then ran the rest of the way to school. He'd talk to his best friend Miroku about this issue later. Right now, he had to make it to class before the bell rang. As he bolted through the entrance gate and into the school courts, he looked at his watch.

"Crap, two minutes!" he said to himself, rushing through the school doors, toward his locker. Once he reached his destination, he took out two textbooks and notebooks, slammed the locker shut and turned to the direction of his math class. In his haste, he and another person collided with one another, everything they both held spilling onto the ground.

Inuyasha heard the other person grumbling loudly as they both picked up all their belongings. There was one textbook left on the floor. It wasn't his so it must have been the other person's. Inuyasha picked it up and held it out, seeing who the person was in the process.

"Oh, Kami…you!" Kagome Higurashi hissed as she snatched her textbook from his hand and stood up. "I should have known! It's just like you to be late and to drag me down with you!"

"Well, for your information, it was an accident!" he snapped back.

"Accident! Ha! Yeah right!" she seethed. "Your purpose in life is to ruin mine!"

"Standing here and giving me insults isn't going to get us to class," Inuyasha said as he began walking past her. He heard her growl.

"Bastard," Kagome spat loudly.

Inuyasha stopped dead right in his tracks and stayed at that spot, even though the bell rang right then.

He slowly turned around, "What…did you call me?"

"I called you bastard," Kagome repeated with a sour tone, her eyes narrowing. "What, are you deaf?"

Inuyasha made his way toward her, ready to shout at her in the face. However, when he made eye contact with her, everything he was about to say to her was forgotten.

Because at that moment, he noticed that Kagome Higurashi had gray-blue eyes.

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A/N: Hm, hm, hm. Wonder what's going to happen next. **:D** Anyways, the days and dates that happen in this story correspond with the actual days and dates for December this year. For example, in the beginning of the story, it said "Thursday, December 1"…and guess what? December 1 is really on a Thursday this year. Hope you guys get it.

Please review!


	2. The Wooing Begins

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: Thank you for your reviews everyone!

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Chapter 2: The Wooing Begins

"_Why_ are you staring at me?" Kagome asked in annoyance.

Inuyasha twitched.

Heck. No. Kagome Higurashi could not be his true love. That lurch his heart gave when he saw her gray-blue eyes didn't mean anything. Absolutely nothing at all.

Yet…he knew Kagome was the one who would break the curse. Trust the wench, Kikyo to make his life miserable.

"Okay, you know what? Forget you," Kagome said coldly and brushed past him to class. "I don't even know why I'm wasting my time here talking to you."

Then, he said something that he would never have said to Kagome Higurashi if the curse hadn't been placed on him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he gritted through his teeth. "I'm sorry for bumping into you. I'm sorry for making you late to class. I'm just _sorry_."

Kagome halted and turned around slowly.

"Did you…just apologize to me?" she stared at him. He stubbornly stared back.

"What of it?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"That's the first time you've ever said sorry to me ever since we met in _elementary school_," Kagome shook her head, walking towards class again. "The world must be ending..."

Oh, yes, the world was ending all right…for him at least.

* * *

All throughout the day, Inuyasha found himself constantly staring at Kagome during class-as fate would have it, they had the same classes together ever since kindergarten- whether he liked it or not. She sat in the front seat in the row to the right of him. Only one word was in his head ever since the incident in the hall.

'Damn.'

Inuyasha sank back in his chair and closed his eyes.

'Why'd it have to be her?' he thought angrily. '_Why?_ We've been enemies since elementary school!'

The bell rang, signaling that class was over and that the lunch period had begun. Inuyasha stood up, slung his backpack over a shoulder and stalked out of the room.

"Hey! Inuyasha!" a familiar voice called out. Inuyasha looked behind him and saw a purple-eyed male with black hair tied into a tiny ponytail…it was his best friend, Miroku.

"What's up?" Miroku asked cheerfully, giving Inuyasha a hard slap on the back. "You seem sort of down today."

"_Sort of_?" Inuyasha replied thickly. He looked to his left and then his right before whispering, "I have to talk to you about something really important."

Miroku blinked, "Uh, alright. You want to talk about it now or in the cafeteria?"

"Cafeteria."

"Is it a bad or good thing?"

"Bad."

Miroku followed Inuyasha to the cafeteria, stayed quiet as they both got their lunches, and then patiently waited for Inuyasha to talk when they settled down at a table.

"Well," Miroku said after a long period of silence. "What is it?"

Inuyasha hesitated and then said quietly, "I'm…cursed."

"You say that all the time," Miroku said, confused. "You always tell me that you're cursed because you're a hanyou…that you wish you were either a full-demon or a full-human."

"No, you don't understand," Inuyasha said impatiently. "I'm really cursed."

Then, in a lower voice, he added, "I change into a dog every time I sneeze."

Miroku's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

When Inuyasha nodded, Miroku excitedly asked, "Can I see you change into a dog right now?"

Miroku yelped when Inuyasha brought a fist down onto his head.

"What are you?" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Nuts! You want all these people in this cafeteria to see!"

Miroku frowned, "Good point…so, is there any way to break this curse?"

"My 'true love' has to say 'I love you' and then kiss me," Inuyasha grumbled.

"And do you know who your 'true love' is?"

Inuyasha pointed to the table diagonally from them. Miroku followed his finger and spotted Kagome and her best friend, Sango.

"Sango?" he gasped. "_My_ Sango is your true love!"

Miroku yelped again when Inuyasha brought his fist down onto his head a second time.

"No, _Kagome_ is," Inuyasha snarled. Miroku rubbed his head painfully and then started laughing.

"I was kidding. Anyways, this is so ironic," he shook his head. "You two hate each other…and yet, you're each other's 'true love'? You know, this curse might not be bad after all…"

Inuyasha glared at him, "_What _are you implying?"

"I'm just saying that something good might come out of this," Miroku said thoughtfully. "You know, the curse didn't say anything about you having to love Kagome…all it's basically saying is that Kagome has to love you. So, just…date her to make her fall in love with you, have her break the curse and then break it off with her."

Inuyasha's eyes brightened, "Good idea."

"But that's not the 'good thing that might come out of this'," Miroku pointed out. "The good thing is that _you_ might fall in love with Kagome and then you could both start a serious relationship. Did anyone tell you that you and Kagome make a good couple?"

The brightness in Inuyasha's eyes vanished. He narrowed his eyes, "Say that again and you'll find yourself lying on the ground with bruises before you can say 'help me'."

"I'm just trying to make some positive comments to brighten up the gloominess of the situation!" Miroku protested. "Besides, Kagome is a great person once you get to know her."

Inuyasha coughed, "A great person? Are we talking about the same person here? The Kagome Higurashi _I'm_ talking about is the one that has been bothering me ever since kindergarten. She always yanked at my dog ears and attempted to braid my hair!"

"What kind of little girl _wouldn't_ love playing with your dog ears? And braiding is a girl thing-it's a typical thing a little girl would love to do. Anyways, the Kagome Higurashi _I'm_ talking about is the one that's been a great friend to me ever since I met her. She always helps me as much as she can."

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha snorted. "If she helps you as much as she can, how come she hasn't been able to help you with your lechery?"

"I _did_ say 'as much as she can', didn't I? Apparently, my lechery is incurable," Miroku sighed.

"So you say."

"Back to the point. Winter break starts tomorrow and ends on January 1. You're in luck. You have all of that time to get Kagome to fall in love with you. Judging by how you two care for one another, you're going to have to ask her out on a _lot_ of dates."

"And as fate would have it, I live five blocks away from her," Inuyasha added and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever choice you make will change your relationship with Kagome no matter what. But each choice has its own consequences. If you decide to play 'nice guy' and then dump her after the curse is broken, there's a pretty good chance that there'll never be a chance for the both of you to become at least _friends_ ever again…on the other hand, if you decide to actually _be_ a nice guy, you might fall in love with her and the both of you could stay together even after the curse ends. As your friend, I advise you to take the second choice."

"What gave you the idea that I would fall in love with _her_?"

"All I'm saying is that I'm not the one who can determine if you'll fall in love with Kagome or not. It's up to you and your heart. Give her a chance…then she'll give you a chance too."

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 3 :&:o:&:o:&:**

He didn't want to do it. No, scratch that. He _really_ didn't want to do it. Yet, in the early morning, Inuyasha found himself heading to Higurashi Shrine.

He'd only been to Higurashi Shrine once in his lifetime, and that time had been against his will. He remembered that time like it had been yesterday. It was when Shippou and Rin were first adopted a few years ago, and he was taking Shippou around the neighborhood. Just when Inuyasha was about to take him home, Shippou spotted Higurashi Shrine and insisted on going there. Before he knew it, Inuyasha was chasing Shippou up the stairs. And that was when Kagome Higurashi had opened the front door, spotted him punching Shippou at the head of the stairs, walked over to the both of them, snatched Shippou away from him, and kicked him-literally _kicked_ him…not to mention an enormous one-down the shrine stairs while yelling about how mean he was to kids. His grudge on Kagome Higurashi grew ten times bigger that day.

"Kami, I'm begging you," he muttered under his breath as he stood before the front door of Higurashi Shrine. "Do NOT let Kagome Higurashi kick me down the stairs again."

With that being said, he rang the doorbell. Using his dog ears, he heard talking and footsteps a short distance beyond the door. The door slid open.

"Welcome to Higurashi Shrine. How may I help…" Kagome trailed off before she was completely silent. She stared directly into Inuyasha's eyes. He stared back.

And before he could say anything, Kagome slid the door shut again in his face.

Inuyasha scowled and rang the doorbell over and over again until Kagome yanked the door back open.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked with an annoyed tone.

"You say I'm mean to kids," Inuyasha grunted. "Yet, do you know how mean _you_ are to guests?"

"I'm only mean to you," she replied sourly. "And is this all you came here to do? To tell me this?"

"No," Inuyasha said, suddenly looking down at the ground. "I wanted to ask you something."

"If you could copy the answers to all the homework our teachers gave us for winter break?"

"Would you just let me talk!" Inuyasha exploded. "And no, that's not what I wanted to ask!"

Kagome leaned back against the doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Then what is it?" she narrowed her eyes. When Inuyasha didn't say anything for a long period of time, she snapped, "Is this a joke or something? I have stuff to do, you know. Kami, you've been pulling pranks on me since grade school!"

"Only because you kept yanking my ears and braiding my hair!" Inuyasha countered, finally speaking up.

"I only did that because you kept calling me 'ugly girl'!"

"Well, I only called you that because you _are_ one!"

That shut Kagome up.

"Oh, am I?" she said in a sweet voice. Inuyasha gulped.

"Uh, yeah," he said, trying to stand his ground. He watched her smile. He watched her angry eyes. And he watched her hand as it lashed out and slapped him hard against the cheek.

"Have a nice day, Inuyasha," Kagome turned her back on him and tossed her hair over her shoulder. She then closed the door in his face...again.

Inuyasha brought a hand to his sore cheek, "Well, on the bright side, at least she didn't kick me down the stairs."

* * *

That afternoon when he called Miroku and told him about what happened, Inuyasha was answered with a long laugh. Inuyasha drummed his fingers on the table he sat next to and impatiently waited Miroku to finish his laughing fit.

"What's so funny?" he asked curtly.

He heard Miroku quiet down and sigh on the other end, "Inuyasha, you should take classes on how to ask a girl out on a date."

"I didn't do anything wrong! It was the damn wench!"

"You called her ugly. _Never_ call a girl fat or ugly, Inuyasha," Miroku said with a serious and almost scolding tone. "I mean, come on. Even a _little boy_ would know that."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. Anyways, just leave her alone today and come back tomorrow."

"I'll bother her to death before she can fall in love with me."

"Persistence is one of the keys to dating success, Inuyasha."

"Yet, persistence never got you a date with Sango, did it?"

"I'm a special case."

"Yes, you definitely are special. In more ways than one."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or insult."

"Take it as an insult," Inuyasha said. He heard a voice yell his name from downstairs. "Hey, Miroku? I have to go eat lunch. I'll call you some other time, okay?"

"All right. Good luck with Kagome. Keep me updated on any progress."

"Okay."

They both said their goodbyes. Inuyasha turned off his phone and lay down on his bed, letting out a loud sigh. It was probably Rin who had called him to eat lunch. Either she or it was Shippou. Sesshoumaru worked on Saturdays and didn't get home until the evening…and even if he _had_ been home, Inuyasha was pretty sure that his brother would never call him down to eat lunch…it'd be a "waste of his time".

"Inuyasha?" a small voice broke out from the door. Inuyasha turned his view towards the door and spotted Shippou.

"Hey, Shippou," he yawned. Shippou scurried over to Inuyasha and jumped onto the bed, settling beside the hanyou.

"Lunch is ready," Shippou piped. "You might want to get it while it's hot."

"What is it?"

"Cheese sandwiches."

Inuyasha laughed, "Rin's favorite. If Sesshoumaru were here, I'm sure he'd make us eat something else."

"What's wrong with cheese sandwiches?"

"Nothing," Inuyasha smiled and ruffled Shippou's hair. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Shippou nodded.

"Have you ever called a girl fat or ugly?"

Shippou's mouth dropped open, "Are you kidding me? Don't you know that you're _never_ supposed to call a girl fat or ugly? Even a _little boy_ like me knows that!"

"Kami, this is like déjà vu…" Inuyasha groaned.

* * *

It was evening. Inuyasha tightened the red scarf around his neck as he slowly strolled through the park where his curse had been inflicted.

"I hate this place now," he muttered under his breath. He rounded the same corner he had turned the last time, half-expecting to see Kikyo. To his relief, Kikyo was no where to be seen.

Inuyasha stood there for a few seconds before he turned around and headed down another path-the path headed toward the pond. Once there, he squatted down beside the large pond and surveyed the water. It was still liquid, but there were traces of ice in it.

"Hm," he murmured. "With luck, the pond will be frozen by Christmas so everyone can go ice skating."

Inuyasha stood up and brushed himself off. That's when he felt a sneeze come over him.

ACHOO!

'Shoot!' Inuyasha cursed mentally as he felt himself transforming into his new dog form. He quickly looked around the area to see if anyone was there who might have seen his transformation. He let out a deep breath when no one was in sight.

It was getting late. Inuyasha mentally sighed and started trotting towards home.

'Might as well head home even though I'm in this form,' he thought grouchily. 'I'll just have to wait until I sneeze again in order to make it home faster.'

He was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the person walking in front of him until he bumped hard into their leg. He immediately fell onto his bottom, so he looked like a dog in a sitting position. Despite himself, he let out a dog whine.

The person he'd bumped into was bending down toward him. Inuyasha looked up…and nearly jumped out of his fur when he saw that it was Kagome Higurashi.

* * *

A/N: Hehehe. Kagome found him! What will happen next? **:P**

Anyways, Kikyo and Kagome do not know each other (yet) and don't have any relation to each other in this story! The reason why Kikyo knew Kagome was Inuyasha's "true love" is because…well, it's because she just did. **x.x** Or maybe she had a premonition. **:D **Hehe.

Please review!


	3. The Time Spent With Her

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: Sorry for the long update!

* * *

Chapter 3: The Time Spent With Her

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 3 (continued) :&:o:&:o:&:**

So this was how dogs felt like beside humans. Inuyasha nervously stared up into Kagome's face as she peered back at him curiously.

"You're…" she started.

Inuyasha tore his eyes away and shut them tightly, 'Please don't let her recognize me!'

"…so cute!" he heard her finish. Inuyasha nearly toppled over.

Kagome knelt down in front of him and ruffled the fur on his head, "Hey, boy. Well, at least I _think_ you're a boy. You are, right?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say yes, but remembered that he couldn't speak. He gave a bark instead.

"Where's your owner?" Kagome asked next, her eyes filled with concern. She glimpsed at his neck, which was bare. "Hm, you don't have any tag or collar."

Her eyes glanced around the area and then landed back on him.

"You must be a stray," she said thoughtfully. "Then again, you look pretty well-groomed."

Inuyasha turned away and rolled his eyes. He was thinking about making a run for it…but there was this feeling inside of him that was keeping him back. A brief silence passed between the both of them.

Finally, Kagome clapped her hands together and declared, "Alright, I've decided! I'm taking you home with me!"

Inuyasha's head swiveled back toward her and his jaw dropped open, 'Say what!'

**

* * *

**

'If I ever get a dog, I'm _never_ going to put a leash on it,' Inuyasha swore to himself.

"Come on, boy!" Kagome said cheerfully down to him. "We're almost there!"

She tugged on the scarf end she held. Inuyasha gave a low growl while he looked down at the other end of the long scarf, which was tightly tied around his neck in order for it to be like a leash. She had tied it on him before he could make an escape.

'I _knew_ I should've run away while I had the chance to,' he thought with depression. He winced as his forehead collided with Kagome's leg for the hundredth time. 'Jeez, I walk faster than her even when I'm a _dog_.'

"Well, here we are," Kagome said down at him. "Welcome to Higurashi Shrine."

Inuyasha stared up at the shrine, which looked ten times bigger than he remembered it to be-what, with him being a dog at the moment. He choked when Kagome gave a large yank at the scarf around his neck as she began hauling him up the stairs.

"Oh, I can't wait to show Mom and Souta!" he heard Kagome saying to herself. "I've always wanted a dog-"

Blah. Blah. Blah. He really wanted to shut that big mouth of hers right now. He grinded his teeth together when Kagome gave another hard pull at the scarf.

This girl not only needed to work on her guest-greeting skills…she seriously needed to work on her pet-handling skills too.

**

* * *

**

"What a cute little dog!"

"What's this canine doing in here?"

Inuyasha inwardly sighed as Kagome's mother and grandfather stood over him.

"He's adorable," Mrs. Higurashi cooed.

"He's filthy," Grandpa coughed.

"He's clean," Mrs. Higurashi argued.

"He's a _dog_," Grandpa glared. "Since when were dogs clean?"

"Not all dogs are dirty, Father," Mrs. Higurashi shook her head as she knelt down and petted Inuyasha on the head. Despite himself, Inuyasha began wagging his tail. "Especially this one. Look how well-groomed he is."

Grandpa grunted, but didn't say another word. His eyes flickered over to Kagome. He asked, "Granddaughter, where did you find him?"

"I found him all alone at the park," Kagome answered, kneeling down and scratching Inuyasha behind the ears. "I figured he was a stray since he didn't have any tag or collar, but then again, what stray out there is well-groomed?"

"Apparently, this one," Mrs. Higurashi said thoughtfully. "Maybe he was separated from his owner…"

She suddenly gasped. Kagome and Grandpa stared at her.

"Maybe he was abducted!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed. "And then the person got tired of him and just let him loose!"

"In that case, wouldn't the dog just start heading back to its original home?" Grandpa asked gruffly.

'Which was exactly where I was heading until _Kagome _showed up,' Inuyasha grimly thought. He was feeling subconscious with Kagome so near him. She was still scratching him behind the ears. He hated to admit it, but her soft touch felt good. 'How come she wasn't this gentle when she was playing with my hanyou dog ears while we were little kids?'

"Either way, can we let him stay overnight? Please?" Kagome begged. "I've always wanted a dog. I've told you both plenty of times before, remember?"

"I remember," Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "You bug me about it at least once a year. I guess we could let him stay overnight…and we can let him stay here at the shrine until we find his owner. We can start posting up signs tomorrow around all the neighborhoods that are near here."

Kagome shot up and hugged her mother with a squeal.

"However, the dog is your responsibility, Kagome," Grandpa said sternly. "You're the one who has to make sure he's fed, walked, and bathed."

"I got it, I got it," Kagome assured him happily. "I'll take care of everything. You won't have to worry about a thing."

She threw her arms around Inuyasha's neck and squeezed hard.

Inuyasha choked for air, 'Help me…'

"Hey, what's all this noise about?" a young voice interrupted. All heads turned toward the doorway where a curious young boy was standing. When he spotted Inuyasha, he yelped and ran out of the room.

"Poor Souta," Kagome shook her head. "I can't believe he's afraid of dogs."

Inuyasha stared at the now empty doorway. The boy-Souta, who was most likely Kagome's little brother-was scared of dogs?

**

* * *

**

"I'm not giving you a bath today since you already look cleaned up," Kagome said to Inuyasha once they were in her room. Inuyasha was in a sitting position on the floor while Kagome stood over him. "But I, on the other hand, have to take a shower so you just stay here and relax."

'Just stay here and relax,' Inuyasha mimicked with his mind as Kagome walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. 'As if.'

He surveyed the room. Everything was pink. Literally.

'She's more girly than I thought.'

Inuyasha walked over to the desk in the corner of the room and jumped up onto the chair that was pulled out. Kagome's desk was neatly organized. Her books were kept at one end of the desk and framed pictures stood on the other.

With his sharp hearing, Inuyasha heard the shower next door turn on and Kagome faintly humming. He turned his attention back to what was on the desk and then, one photograph caught his eye. It was a picture of his and Kagome's kindergarten class.

In the picture, Inuyasha was on the bottom row with Kagome right above him in the second row. And, imagine that, she was yanking at his dog ears, which in turn, caused him to have a mad face, which ruined the chance for a "perfect" class picture.

'We always made a mess of things, now that I think about it,' Inuyasha thought. He then noticed that the corner of his mouth was twitching. 'Kami, was I about to _smile_ about that?'

He shook his head fiercely and jumped down from the seat, settling beside Kagome's bed.

When Inuyasha heard the door open, he looked up and found himself staring at Kagome…who had nothing on but a towel wrapped around her body.

"How've you been?" Kagome asked cheerfully and walked over to him to give him a pat on the head. She then headed over to her closet to pull out some pajamas. Once she found them, she threw them onto the bed. Then, to Inuyasha's horror, she started to unravel the towel around her body.

Inuyasha hastily turned away and moved to the far corner of the room, his back facing Kagome.

'If I were in my hanyou form right now, I'd be red in the face,' Inuyasha thought, his face heating up.

"You're not only well-groomed, you're polite too," he heard Kagome remark with surprise.

Compared to Miroku, he really was polite…well, if you were referring to letting women have privacy while they changed that is. If Miroku were in his position right now, he would've, with no doubt, watched the whole process of Kagome putting on her clothes.

Inuyasha felt arms drape around him a moment later.

"Are you hungry, boy?" Kagome asked, now dressed in light blue pajamas. "I already ate dinner before I went on that walk, so I'm full…but how about you? Do you want something to eat?"

The truth was…he wasn't hungry. All that was happening at the moment made him lose his appetite.

"I guess you aren't hungry then," Kagome frowned when he didn't make any noise. "I guess we'll just go to sleep then."

She sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor, settling Inuyasha-whether he liked it or not-onto her lap. And then, she just stared at his face.

'Well this…is getting awkward…' Inuyasha turned his face away. 'What's with me? Usually, it's no big deal to stare at her straight in the face…but ever since the curse happened, it's been so hard to even _look_ at Kagome in the face without feeling weird inside.'

"You have lovely eyes," Kagome said all of a sudden, bringing Inuyasha back to earth. "They're the same eye color as someone that I know."

Inuyasha slowly turned his face back toward her. He knew she was talking about him-his hanyou him that is.

"In fact, you remind me a lot of him," Kagome said softly, scratching him behind his ears again. "Your fur is similar to the color of his hair."

Inuyasha felt his heartbeat quicken. 'Is she realizing the truth?'

"Oh, well. It must all be a coincidence," Kagome confirmed. She stood up with him in her arms and laid him at the foot of her bed. Kagome stretched and plopped down beside him, making the bed bounce up and down briefly.

'Damn her, I'm getting dizzy from that.'

"Well, I hope you enjoy your time here," Kagome said. "We'll help you find your owner, don't you worry."

She looked down at him with a pondering look, "It's pretty cold…"

Kagome looked at the head of the bed and then back at Inuyasha.

"I'll let you sleep next to me," she said. "That way, we'll both be warmer."

And then, for the first time during the years that he'd known her, Inuyasha saw Kagome smile. She lifted him off the foot of the bed and put him under the covers, his head on one side of the pillow-the side closer to the wall.

"You can sleep on the side next to the wall so that way you don't fall off the bed," Kagome told him with a small laugh.

'How thoughtful of you,' Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He then realized that he'd never heard her laugh before either. It was a sweet sound to his ears.

Later, Kagome went under the covers beside him.

"You know what?" she said brightly. "I think I'll call you Inuyasha-chan."

'WHAT?'

"It just seems to suit you," she smiled at him again. "I don't know why, but it just does."

There was a long silence before Kagome started talking again.

"There was actually a time when I liked Inuyasha in _that_ way when we were in kindergarten," Kagome said quietly, probably to herself. "But I don't know…I just lost that feeling when I saw that he didn't like me that way...that he didn't like me at all, actually."

Okay, _what_ did she just say? Kagome _liked_ liked him when they were little kids?

"We weren't even friends…we still aren't, actually," Kagome said with a bitter laugh. "I tried being his friend in grade school before, but he just brushed me away. And then he started calling me 'ugly girl', and I started yanking his ears and braiding his hair just to irritate him."

Inuyasha watched Kagome with annoyance when her bitter laugh turned into an amused one.

When Kagome calmed down, she said, "However, I _do_ wonder why he came to the shrine today. I didn't let him ask what he wanted to ask me…and I was a little harsh on him too."

A _little_?

"Oh well…what's done is done," Kagome shrugged. "I have to get to sleep. It's getting late."

With that said, Kagome turned toward the lamp on the bedside table and switched it off. The room filled with blackness. However, Inuyasha's sharp eyes allowed him to adjust to the darkness fast. A moment later, he felt Kagome snuggle up beside him.

"Good night, Inuyasha-chan," she said.

And then, she gave him a quick kiss on the mouth.

A few minutes passed. Kagome fell asleep. Inuyasha remained awake. He felt his heart thudding against his chest again. His mouth still tingled from the kiss Kagome gave him.

'What's happening to me? Could it be that…I'm falling in love with her?'

**

* * *

**

It was 11:00 PM.

Inuyasha quietly snuck out of Kagome's bed and somehow managed to open the door. He tiptoed-if it's possible for a dog to tiptoe-out the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. He looked around and found salt and pepper shakers. Inuyasha hastily made way to the pepper shaker and took a big sniff.

ACHOO!

"Finally, I'm back in my hanyou form," Inuyasha said with relief. He picked up the phone that hung on the wall and dialed Miroku's number. Knowing Miroku, he was still up and on the internet….instant-messaging Sango to death. Miroku only lived with one other person, Mushin, since his parents died when he was little. Mushin was always sleeping, due to the fact that he was always drinking-so Inuyasha was always 99 percent sure that Miroku would pick up the phone if anyone called his house.

"Hello?" Miroku's voice answered.

"Hey, it's me," Inuyasha said quietly. "Can you call my house and tell whoever answers the phone that I'm at your house and that that's the reason why I'm taking forever to get home?"

"Sure thing…except, you're not at my house," Miroku replied with a sly voice. "Are you where I think you are? Perhaps, _Kagome's_ house?"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snapped silently, blushing-not that Miroku knew that. "I was in my dog form and she took me to her house! I couldn't change back until everyone in the house was asleep."

"I see."

"So can you call my house or not?" Inuyasha whispered impatiently.

"Why can't you do it yourself?"

"Because Sesshoumaru won't believe me. He believes anyone, but me."

"Fine…but you'd better tell me more about this later."

"Jeez…I will."

Both of them said their goodbyes. Inuyasha hung up the phone back on the wall beside the kitchen doorway and sighed tiredly.

"I'd better get out of here while I have the chance," he muttered to himself. He was about to walk through the kitchen doorway when someone flicked on the kitchen lights.

'Oh, crap!' Inuyasha thought, his eyes shutting tight against the brightness. He had gotten used to the darkness. A second later, he opened his eyes again and found himself looking at Kagome's little brother, Souta.

"Wh-wh-who-" Souta stammered, pointing a shaky finger at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha hurriedly tried to calm and quiet him down, "Sh! Listen, I'm-"

Souta didn't wait to hear what he had to say. Instead, he screamed the one word that Inuyasha did not want to hear at the moment.

"BURGLAR!"

* * *

A/N: Hehehe, another cliffhanger. I sure do use them a lot, don't I?

Ah! I'm WAY behind schedule for this fanfic! **X.X **I guess it means that I'll have to update a lot this week then.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story so far!

Please review!


	4. The Change of Heart

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: Surprise, surprise. Another update this week. Hehe.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Change of Heart

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 3 (continued) :&:o:&:o:&:**

"BURGLAR! BURGLAR! BURGL-"

Inuyasha clamped a hand over Souta's mouth.

"Be quiet!" he hissed and turned off the light with his free hand. The two of them stood quiet in the dark kitchen, neither of them making a sound. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief when he heard no one coming down to see what the commotion was all about. He loosened his hold on Souta, turned him around, and gripped both of Souta's shoulders.

Inuyasha felt a swell of guiltiness take over him when he saw Souta stare at him with fear.

"I'm not a burglar, okay?" Inuyasha whispered. "I'm one of your sister's classmates."

"So?" Souta said back stubbornly. "Even if you were, why are you in _this_ house?"

"It's a long story," Inuyasha answered, flicking the lights back on. Souta blinked twice before replying.

"Silver hair…dog ears…claws…are you Inuyasha?" Souta asked.

Inuyasha turned around and gawked at the young boy, "H-how did you know?"

"My sis talks a lot about you…well, she used to anyway," Souta shrugged casually. "She said you were her first crush…but that was a _long_ time ago."

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat.

'She had a crush on me and I never noticed,' he groaned.

"Why do you look so depressed?" Souta remarked. "Is it because I told you that Kagome had a crush on you?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "No, it's because of something else."

Souta didn't say anything, signifying that he was waiting for Inuyasha to continue.

"I'll tell you if you promise not tell anyone. Especially your sister," Inuyasha sighed heavily.

"I promise!" Souta said excitedly.

Kami, he was like another Shippou. A period of silence passed before Inuyasha opened his mouth.

"I…change into a dog whenever I sneeze," Inuyasha said slowly.

Souta's gave him a look, "Jeez, I know I seem like a little kid to you, but do you have to come up with stories as stupid as that one?"

"I'm serious!" Inuyasha argued. "You want me to prove it?"

Before Souta could give his consent, Inuyasha walked over to the pepper shaker, took a big sniff and sneezed.

"Oh…my…gosh…" Souta gaped when he saw the same white dog from earlier in front of him. Then, he darted behind the kitchen counter. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He forgot that Souta was afraid of dogs. Inuyasha took a big whiff of the pepper shaker again.

ACHOO!

"You can come out Souta," Inuyasha said with an annoyed tone. "I don't get you. You're not scared of my hanyou form, yet, you're afraid of my dog form. And the ironic thing is: I'm half dog-demon!"

"I'm just scared of dogs," Souta protested. "I don't know why…but they just scare me."

Inuyasha sighed and brought the pepper shaker to his nose again.

ACHOO!

Souta yelped and hid behind the counter again. This was so funny that it was sad. Inuyasha slowly made his way to Souta, who cringed against the counter.

"Ah!" Souta squeaked when Inuyasha poked his knee with his nose. Inuyasha became aware that the young boy was trembling like crazy.

'This is so pathetic.' Inuyasha rested his head against Souta's leg. He felt Souta flinch, but he kept his head there. A moment later, he looked up and gave Souta a lick on the cheek. 'Kami, now I _really_ feel like a dog.'

Souta let out a small giggle, "That tickled."

He stretched out a hesitant hand and started petting Inuyasha. After a few minutes, Inuyasha retreated and walked briskly to the shaker again.

ACHOO!

"Now was it that bad?" Inuyasha asked as he dusted himself off. "Not all dogs are scary. Anyways, I have to get home."

Souta, still shaking a little, stood up, "Thanks for helping me try to overcome my fear. By the way, you're lucky that everyone in my family are heavy and sound sleepers."

"I guess," Inuyasha gave a nod. "What are you doing down here so late at night anyway?"

"I always come here this late at night to get a midnight snack," Souta explained.

"It's not midnight."

"I know, but I like to come here early."

"I see."

"So you're the dog my sis brought home…"

"It was an accident that she did. I was heading home and then she found me and decided to take me to Higurashi Shrine."

"That's Kagome alright," Souta laughed. "She loves dogs. She wanted one ever since she was a little kid."

He looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful face, "Mom told me that Kagome wanted one ever since kindergarten…and the first class you and Kagome had together was in kindergarten, right? So, I'd say she wanted a dog ever since she met you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned his head away to hide his blush.

"Feh, as if," Inuyasha replied gruffly. "Anyways, I'm heading out."

Souta opened the refrigerator door and stuck his head inside it, "Alright, bye."

Inuyasha was at the front door and was about to open it when a thought struck him. He walked back to the kitchen doorway.

"Souta…" he said quietly.

Souta looked up from the carton of milk he was holding. "Yeah?"

"You're not going to tell anyone about all this, right? About me being here and me changing into a dog?"

"No. I promised, remember?"

Inuyasha had to smile at that, "That's right…man-to-man promise…"

He looked up at the stairs and turned back to Souta to add, "And…can you tell Kagome in the morning that you let 'Inuyasha-chan'-that's what she named my dog form-out of the house?"

Souta stared at him with wide eyes, "She'd kill me if I said that."

"Just say that you saw him at the front door when you were going down the stairs to get your night snack…then he ran up the stairs to you. Then, due to your fear of dogs…you made a run for the door and opened it to escape from him…only to see 'Inuyasha-chan' running past you and out of Higurashi Shrine…" Inuyasha suggested.

Souta rolled his eyes heavenward, "I'll tell her that. But in any case, you'd make an awful storyteller."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Monday, December 5 :&:o:&:o:&:**

"You have to flatter her," Miroku said.

It was morning. Inuyasha was back in his house. He'd left Kagome alone for a day so she could "cool off". During Sunday, he told Miroku the whole story-well, most of the story-about what happened on Saturday evening. Today, Miroku was telling him "advice" on asking a girl out.

Inuyasha leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes, holding the phone to his ear, "She's so stubborn, Miroku. I don't think flattery will get me anywhere."

"Well, you have to flatter her in order for her to like you in the littlest bit."

"That's the thing. She _liked _liked me when we were in kindergarten."

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Are you serious?" Miroku's voice came a moment later.

"Dead serious. She had a crush on me when we were little kids. I found out from Kagome myself. She told it all to my dog form."

"Guess the curse isn't that much of a bad thing after all," Miroku laughed. "Anyways, this is good. If she had a crush on you _then_…what makes you think she can't have a crush on you again?"

"Oh, I don't know…maybe because she _hates my guts_?"

"I'm not so sure about that, Inuyasha," Miroku replied, amused. "You know the saying that people who fight each other really care about each other, don't you?"

"That's crap."

"No it isn't. Anyways, go ask her out again today. And take in any insults she gives you…just be sure not to insult back."

"Got it," Inuyasha grumbled. He turned off the phone and stood up. "Let's see if luck is on my side today."

* * *

"Will you go on a date with me?" Inuyasha said to the air as he made his way to Higurashi Shrine. "No, that won't do…Kagome, will you go out with me? No, that won't do either…"

He let out a frustrated yell, "Arg! Why is this so hard! And _why_ am I feeling so nervous!"

He ran the rest of the way to Higurashi Shrine.

"Screw it, I'll just say whatever comes to mind," Inuyasha decided as he rung the doorbell. When the door slid open, he blurted, "Will you go on a date with me?"

Souta stared back at him from the doorway, "Uh…"

Inuyasha blinked and gave a nervous laugh, "H-hey, Souta. Don't mind me. I was just practicing for a play."

Souta gave him a sure-whatever-you-say look, "Kagome is in the park. And I'm beginning to think that you should've stayed overnight on Saturday…because all of Sunday, she was crying her eyes off that her beloved 'Inuyasha-chan' ran away."

When he heard that Kagome was crying, Inuyasha felt his heart wrench for some apparent reason.

"Well, thanks for covering for me," Inuyasha said briefly. "I'll see you later."

With that said, Inuyasha headed to the park. He winded up and down several paths before he found Kagome. She was sitting on a bench with a sad look on her face.

"Kagome?"

Kagome's head shot up. When she saw him, she grunted, "What do _you_ want?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth, but took in the insult. He asked, "What's with the long face?"

Kagome glared at him for a minute before answering, "A dog I found on Saturday ran away from me."

She looked down at her lap and said quietly, "I became so fond of him so fast. I even went here to the park yesterday to see if I'd find him again…but I didn't."

When she looked up again, Inuyasha saw tears brimming in her eyes.

"I just want to see him again at least _once_ to make sure he's okay," Kagome's voice cracked. Her breath caught in her throat when Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to him in a hug. Inuyasha had no idea what came over him to make him do this.

"I'm sure he's okay," Inuyasha assured her softly.

"Probably," Kagome stated. She blinked and then quickly pushed herself away from him. "Hey! What the _heck_ are you up to?"

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked, confused.

"You're sucking up to me, aren't you? You're trying to get me to lend you my homework so you can copy it!"

"I'm not here for that," Inuyasha protested.

"And plus, we're enemies and yet, you're _hugging_ me for the first time during all the years that we've known each other. So, spill it!"

Inuyasha looked into her gray-blue eyes with a far off look, "Will you…go on a date with me?"

* * *

She only accepted because he comforted her. She just knew it. But why was her heart pounding?

Kagome tightened her grip on the cup of coffee she held. This feeling she began having at the moment…was the same feeling she had when she was in kindergarten-when she had a crush on Inuyasha.

She glanced up at Inuyasha who sat across the table from her in the coffee shop they were at.

"You didn't have to pay for my coffee," Kagome said quietly.

Inuyasha shrugged, "It's the gentleman thing to do."

"Since when were you a gentleman?"

"I always was. But you probably didn't notice since we were 'enemies'."

"I guess that's true," Kagome said. She looked at his hands and saw that he was drinking nothing. "You're not going to drink anything?"

"I'm not thirsty. And besides, I hate coffee."

"Then why'd you take me here?"

"Because you look tired. Coffee helps a person wake up."

"Oh," Kagome looked down at her coffee again. She had to admit, Inuyasha really _was_ a gentleman at the moment. An awkward silence passed between them. "You know what? I feel like I should repay you for the coffee…and the comfort you gave me in the park. So, if you want, I'll let you copy some of my homework."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Woman, I already told you. I don't want that. If you want to pay me back, I want you to do something else."

Kagome eyed him suspiciously, "Which would be?"

"Go on more dates with me."

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: December 6-9 :&:o:&:o:&:**

The following days, Inuyasha had to admit, were actually fun…what's more, he actually _looked forward_ to them.

In the mornings, he got up early and went downstairs to eat breakfast…and instead of being the last one to get to the table, he started being the first to get there. Rin and Shippou were surprised at the change…but not as surprised as Sesshoumaru. Heck, "surprised" was an understatement-he was "shocked".

After breakfast, Inuyasha would head over to the flower shop and buy a single flower-every flower different from the previous ones he'd buy. Then, he'd head over to Higurashi Shrine and ring the doorbell. Every time, Kagome answered the door and was greeted with a smile and the flower.

Then, Kagome would say goodbye to her family and head out with Inuyasha to random places…the park, the movies, or wherever they felt like going. For lunch, Inuyasha would let her choose where and what to eat. Once evening arrived, Inuyasha took Kagome back home and then the whole cycle started all over again.

"I think I fell for her, Miroku," Inuyasha said to Miroku on the phone one evening.

"I knew you would," Miroku's voice replied with a chuckle.

"I don't know why…but she's made me smile and laugh a lot these past days…more than anyone has made me smile and laugh."

"It's love, my dear friend. Love."

Inuyasha sighed and laid back on his bed, "Probably…"

"Anyways, guess what?"

"What?"

"I asked Sango out on a date."

"You always do. What's the big deal about that?"

"She said yes."

Inuyasha laughed, "Finally! Maybe it's because she's tired of your nagging."

"Hehe, maybe. Well, Sango and I are going to the amusement park that's near school. We're going two days from now…Sunday the 11th. You want to come with us with Kagome? It'll be a double date."

"I'll ask Kagome…I'm going to put you on hold for a little while okay?"

"Okay."

Inuyasha put Miroku on hold and dialed Kagome's phone number on a different line.

"Hello?" Kagome answered.

"Hi, Kagome," Inuyasha greeted. He proceeded to tell her about the double date idea Miroku had. Kagome cheerfully consented and they both agreed to meet at the park entrance on Sunday. Inuyasha hung up with a smile and went back to the line where Miroku was waiting. "She said yes."

"Great! So are you going on a date with Kagome tomorrow on Saturday?"

"No, I'm giving her a break."

"You only have fifteen more days, Inuyasha. Use your time wisely."

"Oh, don't worry," Inuyasha said, another smile creeping onto his mouth. "I will."

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 10 :&:o:&:o:&:**

After telling Sesshoumaru that he was going to stay over at Miroku's house that night-and telling Miroku that he'd told Sesshoumaru that-Inuyasha headed over to Higurashi Shrine in the morning. When he reached his destination, he pulled out a pepper shaker he took with him from home and took a big whiff. When he felt a sneeze come over him, he rang the doorbell.

ACHOO!

Inuyasha was in his dog form. He heard footsteps approaching the door. The door slid open and Kagome's face peered out. Inuyasha barked.

Kagome looked down and when she spotted him, she let out a joyous shout.

"Inuyasha-chan!"

* * *

A/N: How sweet, Inuyasha's letting Kagome see 'Inuyasha-chan' to show her that he's okay. Heehee.

Anyways, just to tell all of you in case you haven't noticed yet…this story is going to be very fast-paced. **:P**

Please review!


	5. The Truth Unveiled

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: Hehe, another update. I _did_ say I was going to update a lot this week, didn't I?

Thank you for your reviews, everyone! **:D**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Truth Unveiled

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 10 :&:o:&:o:&:**

All day, Kagome played with Inuyasha's dog form. She took him to the park-with a leash attached to him of course-and played with him at Higurashi Shrine. Even Souta started playing with the both of them.

That night as Kagome lay curled up against him, Inuyasha thought about what to do in the morning.

'Once Kagome heads for the park, I'll dart out of here to change my clothes and then I'll head to the park myself,' he concluded in his mind. He closed his eyes. 'Yes…that's what I'll do…'

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Sunday, December 11 :&:o:&:o:&:**

Inuyasha woke up to the sound of humming and rustling. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Kagome had changed out of her pajamas and into jeans and a pale yellow long-sleeved shirt.

"Well, Inuyasha-chan, I'm off," Kagome smiled, looking down at him. "I'll come back in a few hours. I'm going to leave you in my room, so take care of yourself, okay?"

Inuyasha barked.

"I left some steak that Mom cooked on a plate by the door, just in case you're hungry," Kagome laughed and ruffled his fur. "See you later."

He tiredly watched as Kagome headed out and closed the door behind her. He jumped out of the bed and to the window. When he saw Kagome heading down the shrine steps and turning the street corner, he slid the window open with his paws and stuck his nose outside. It was a bit chilly outside…perfect. His nose twitched.

ACHOO!

"Yes!" Inuyasha said brightly when he was back in his hanyou form. He climbed onto the rooftop below, closed Kagome's window and jumped into the air, heading home.

* * *

"Hm…I thought he'd be here first," Kagome frowned when she reached the park entrance. She looked at her watch.

"Kagome!" a voice called out. She looked and caught sight of Inuyasha running towards her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Inuyasha apologized.

"It's fine," Kagome smiled. She blinked when he stuck a single rose in front of her.

"For you," he stated.

"Thank you," she said shyly as she took the rose from him.

Inuyasha took a moment to catch his breath before asking, "So, should we get going?"

Kagome looped her arm around his and smiled up at him, "Yup."

* * *

"I do _not_ know why I agreed to this!" Sango snapped as she gave Miroku a slap in the face.

"Because you love me?" Miroku said innocently, which earned him another slap.

Kagome and Inuyasha laughed nervously at the violent teenage girl that stood before them. Sango had long black hair and a unique magenta eye color. Miroku had been after her ever since they met and she hadn't agreed to a date with him until now.

Yet, everyone knew that Sango and Miroku liked each other.

"Well, Sango wants to head to the Hall of Mirrors," Miroku said to Inuyasha as he rubbed his sore cheek. "So I'm heading there."

"Kagome wants to head to the ferris wheel first," Inuyasha replied. "Guess we all won't be together during this 'double' date then."

"We can meet up at lunch," Miroku waved goodbye to Inuyasha and Kagome as Sango dragged him away.

"Come on, let's go," Kagome tugged at Inuyasha's arm. "Before there's a long line."

The two of them proceeded to the popular ride. Once they got on, Kagome looked out the window with a look of awe.

Inuyasha felt himself smile.

'I smile so much when I'm around her,' his eyes softened. 'Could I be…_am_ I really in-'

"Isn't the scenery beautiful, Inuyasha?" Kagome turned to him suddenly, breaking his train of thought. "I'm so glad we came here."

"Yeah," Inuyasha spoke uncomfortably. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Kagome tore her eyes from the scenery again, "Sure. What is it?"

"What did you think of the past few days?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes avoiding hers.

Kagome looked at him for some time before answering, "They were…fun."

"If you were to choose whether to continue going on dates with me…would you still go?"

Kagome redirected her attention to the window, "I guess…but remember, I'm only going on these dates to pay you back for that coffee that day."

Or is that the only reason? Kagome's hands tightened at her side, her heart pounding. Lately, she'd strangely felt more happy than usual. She smiled more, she laughed more…her mother even remarked that she could hear Kagome humming in the shower all the way from the kitchen downstairs. Could it be because of these dates with Inuyasha?

'Is my old crush…renewing itself?' Kagome questioned herself. 'Is this possible? I can't fall in love with someone who I've hated since kindergarten and up to now…can I? I mean, what's with Inuyasha's change of heart anyway? Why has he been acting nice towards me lately?'

"And how do you know I'm not using you to go to all of these places for free?" Kagome joked out loud, trying to calm her heart down. "Do you have a motive behind all these dates?"

Inuyasha didn't answer her. Kagome watched his blank eyes with curiosity.

"You want to copy my homework, don't you?" Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Why do you keep bringing that up?" Inuyasha asked, aggravated.

"Because you ask to copy my homework during winter break every year."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do! Why else would you be taking me on dates like this?" Kagome yelled, her eyes flaring. "Is it because you _like_ me?"

"No!" Inuyasha shouted back. He seized her wrists, shoved her roughly against her seat, and kept her there with his hands. Kagome squeezed her eyes tightly and squirmed.

"Let me go!" she objected. When Inuyasha didn't, Kagome opened her eyes again, preparing to give him a deathly glare. However, she found herself dumbstruck when she felt his mouth press softly against hers.

Inuyasha felt her relax and then, to his surprise, he felt Kagome begin to kiss him back. How long they kissed, he had no idea, but by the time they drew apart from each other, the ride was almost over.

"I'm taking you on these dates…because I'm _in love with you_, Kagome," Inuyasha said. "I have no idea when this happened. Probably during the dates we've had…probably during the start of this month…probably since I met you in kindergarten…I don't know. All I know is that I love you."

"I…" Kagome began and closed her mouth. She turned her head away and didn't answer him.

* * *

"Maybe she's scared of commitment," Miroku said thoughtfully. "I mean, you've only been dating for a few days."

"But we've known each other forever."

"Good point."

The two best friends were standing in line to get food for themselves and Sango and Kagome, who were both reserving a table.

"To think," Miroku laughed. "If she'd said 'I love you' back to you with true felt love and you two kissed again, the curse could've been broken today…and then you wouldn't have to go on these dates anymore."

"My motive has changed, Miroku," Inuyasha said in a low voice. "I'm not trying to get her to fall in love with me only to break the curse…I'm doing it so she can break the curse _and_ so that we can be together."

"Seems that way. You must be really broken-hearted right now."

"I am."

"Cheer up, buddy," Miroku encouraged. "I'm sure she loves you too. Just give her some time to fully realize it."

* * *

The day went by fast. Soon, it was time for Inuyasha to take Kagome home. During the walk back to Higurashi Shrine, Kagome acted as if he hadn't confessed his love to her at all.

'Maybe…we were meant to be enemies,' Inuyasha thought, his heart hurting all of a sudden-and he was sure it wasn't heartburn.

He nodded whenever Kagome asked him something, not really hearing the question. The pain inside him was overwhelming him.

Inuyasha halted to a stop when they reached the front door to Kagome's house, "Kagome?"

She stopped talking and looked at him in the face, "Yes?"

"You hate me, don't you?"

Kagome looked away, "No…not anymore."

"Then how do you feel towards me?"

"Right now, I just know that I really like you, Inuyasha," Kagome said, slipping one of her hands into his. "So cheer up. Don't think that I haven't noticed that gloomy look of yours all day."

Inuyasha nodded, "By the way, I just wanted to tell you that…you're the first girl at school to ever like me for who and _what_ I am."

Kagome blinked, "Really?"

"No one really had interest in me because I'm a hanyou."

"Who could not like a guy like you? And I like your hanyou features. You of all people should know."

He smiled at that and began recalling the times when she yanked his ears and braided his hair in kindergarten. He began cheering up. It was impossible for him to remain depressed while he was around Kagome.

"Hey, I want to show you a dog I found a few days ago," Kagome said all of a sudden. She opened the door and began dragging him inside. "I named him Inuyasha-chan since he looked a lot like you."

Crap. "Inuyasha-chan" would definitely not be there.

Inuyasha bit his lip as he was led up the stairs toward Kagome's room.

"Inuyasha-chan?" Kagome called out as she opened the door. "Inuyasha-chan, are you here?"

She surveyed around her room.

"He left again," Kagome whispered. "How did he escape? Did Souta, Mom, or Grandpa let him out?"

She looked under the bed, "Inuyasha-chan?"

She looked under her desk, "Inuyasha-chan?"

Inuyasha stood at the doorway and watched guiltily as Kagome thoroughly searched her room.

"He's gone," Kagome cried. She wiped her tears away and spotted her closet. "Wait, my closet. I haven't check there yet."

She walked to her big closet and searched inside. Inuyasha followed after her. He stepped in behind her and right when Kagome turned around to leave, Inuyasha shut the door behind them, filling the closet with blackness.

"I'm sure he's okay," Inuyasha murmured, his arms wrapping around her waist. "He's probably with someone who he loves right now."

"Do you think so?" Kagome said back, tears still streaming from her eyes.

"No, I know so," he answered against her mouth. They shared a brief kiss.

When Inuyasha opened the closet door again, Kagome noticed that the steak she'd left near the door was untouched.

"I'd better take the plate of steak to the kitchen," she said grimly, heading over to it. Inuyasha made a move to follow her, but then, he felt his nose twitch.

'Damn, not now!'

"Kagome, I have to go home," Inuyasha said quickly, going toward the window. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Before Kagome could say anything, Inuyasha jumped out the window and into the air.

"Wait! Wouldn't it be better to leave through the front door?" Kagome called out as she ran to the open window. She blinked in astonishment when she didn't see Inuyasha anywhere in sight. "He _is_ half-demon after all…"

She looked down toward the sidewalk in front of the shrine and spotted a white dog turning the street corner before it disappeared.

"Was that…Inuyasha-chan I just saw?"

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 17 :&:o:&:o:&:**

Almost a week passed by since the trip to the amusement park. Inuyasha continued taking Kagome on dates. Today, he and Kagome had decided to go to the park.

Both of them walked hand-in-hand, neither of them saying a word, just enjoying the other's presence.

And then, when they rounded a corner, Inuyasha saw her.

Kikyo.

"Well, well, if it isn't Inuyasha," Kikyo smiled nefariously. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine, until I saw you," he replied sourly.

"Rude as ever, I see," she glared. Kikyo noticed Kagome. "I see you've found your 'true love', Inuyasha."

Kagome blushed, oblivious to the true meaning behind those words.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said grumpily to Kikyo. "Now if you don't mind, Kagome and I are on a date and you're spoiling it, wench."

Kikyo whipped her head toward Inuyasha's direction. Wench?

She was about to explode when she thought of an idea. She cackled and faced Kagome, "Kagome, was it? Do you like dogs?"

"I love them," Kagome responded brightly. "I even found one that looked like Inuyasha a few days ago. I named him 'Inuyasha-chan' too."

"_Really_?" Kikyo smiled mysteriously. She glimpsed at Inuyasha, who suddenly looked uneasy.

"Yeah," Kagome said sadly. "But he ran away."

Kikyo grinned at Inuyasha before she turned back to Kagome and said, "Do you want to see Inuyasha-chan again?"

"I'd love to," Kagome blinked, surprised. "But where is he?"

"Right next to you!" Kikyo said, laughing hard. She swiftly reached over and tickled Inuyasha on the nose before he could turn away from her.

ACHOO!

Kagome stared open-mouthed at the familiar white-furred dog that now stood beside her.

"Inu…yasha?" she whispered.

"Hahaha! He didn't tell you about the curse?" Kikyo bellowed. "He didn't tell you that every time he sneezed, he changed into a dog? That in order to break the curse, he'd have to have his 'true love' kiss him and say 'I love you'? That he had to break the curse before Christmas otherwise he'd remain a dog forever?"

Kagome stared at Kikyo and then her eyes filled with tears as she turned her gaze down at Inuyasha's dog form, "You…were using me, weren't you? So you could break the curse."

She held back a sob and screamed, "_I hate you, Inuyasha_!"

Then, Kagome spun around and ran off.

'Kagome! Wait!' Inuyasha thought desperately. He took in a deep breath of the cold air though his nose.

ACHOO!

"Damn you, wench!" Inuyasha yelled at Kikyo before running after Kagome. "Thanks _a lot_!"

"You're very welcome!" Kikyo cooed, waving goodbye.

* * *

Surprisingly, Kagome had beaten him to Higurashi Shrine-then again, he was too caught up in what was happening to even think about using his demonic speed.

By the time he reached there, she was already at the front door, fumbling inside her pockets for the door key.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed, catching her wrist. "Wait!"

"You're dead to me, Inuyasha," she said coldly, yanking her arm away from him. "So why don't you do me a favor and actually _drop dead_?"

"I wasn't using you!"

"And to think. I let you stay in my room, I let you sleep next to me, and you almost _saw me naked_ that one day!"

"You _dragged_ me to your house that day!"

"Oh, so it's _my_ fault now?" Kagome whirled on him. Inuyasha stiffened when he saw that her gray-blue eyes were stone cold. "I can't believe that I actually thought you changed! I can't believe I trusted you when you said you loved me! If you _did_ love me, you would've told me about this stupid and unbelievable curse!"

"I _do_ love you!" Inuyasha argued as Kagome finally found the key. "I want to be with you-"

"_Stay away from me_! And don't you _dare_ come near me again!" Kagome said coldly as she yanked the door open. And then, before Inuyasha could say another word, she slammed the door shut in his face.

* * *

A/N: The drama! **:P** Things are getting pretty interesting, if I don't say so myself.

Please review!


	6. The Final Hours

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews everyone! As a present, I made this chapter a little longer than the previous ones. **:D**

Chapter 6: The Final Hours

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Sunday, December 18 :&:o:&:o:&:**

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked, bouncing up and down on Inuyasha's bed. Inuyasha didn't answer. Instead, he pulled his covers over his head.

"Leave me alone," he mumbled.

"But you haven't eaten breakfast or lunch at all today! And it's almost time for dinner!"

"I'm not hungry."

"But you've got to eat something," Shippou stopped bouncing. "Did something happen to you? You didn't wake up early today like you did in the past few days."

"It's nothing. I'm just tired."

* * *

Kagome ate her breakfast grimly and didn't say a word as the rest of her family was involved in deep conversation.

She'd gotten so used to going on daily dates with Inuyasha that she had half-expected him to come this morning…but when he didn't show up, she remembered what she'd told him the previous day.

It was weird. It hurt inside her chest whenever she thought about him…could it be that she had a crush on him again? No, not a crush this time.

Love?

'Am I in love with him?' she lowered her chopsticks onto her bowl, her eyes closing halfway. 'It's practically the only explanation why I'm feeling this pain…'

* * *

Inuyasha threw the covers off his head and stared up at the ceiling. He'd tried calling Kagome all evening yesterday. She didn't pick up every single time. Then, he'd begun leaving messages. None of them were answered.

He'd given up at 9 PM.

His eyes moved over to the phone that was sat on his desk in the corner of the room. With a sigh, he got out of bed and picked up the phone. He dialed Miroku's number.

"Hello?" Miroku answered.

"Hi, it's me," Inuyasha said tiredly.

"Hey," Miroku paused. "Aren't you supposed to be on a date with Kagome right now?"

"She found out about the curse, Miroku."

Miroku was silent on the other line, "…wait, you told her?"

"No, we were in the park yesterday and we bumped into that miko, Kikyo…and then she told Kagome all about the curse…and then…"

"And then what?"

"Kikyo made me sneeze and I changed into my dog form right in front of Kagome."

"Kami."

"And now, Kagome is mad at me. She told me to stay away from her. I tried calling her all evening yesterday, but she wouldn't pick up the phone," Inuyasha continued miserably. "And the thing is…I was already planning to tell her about the curse…but Kikyo beat me to it. Now, Kagome thinks I've just been dating her so I could use her to break the curse."

"Well, that's not true, right? You have to tell her that."

"No matter what I do to try and get back with her now…she'll just think that I'm doing it so that I'll have another chance at breaking the curse."

* * *

"Kagome, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi called through the door.

She was answered with silence. Mrs. Higurashi opened the door and peeked inside. Her daughter was lying in bed, one of her arms draped over her eyes.

"Kagome?" she said softly. "You've been quiet all evening yesterday and all of today. Tell mother what's wrong."

Mrs. Higurashi came over to the side of Kagome's bed and gently pulled Kagome's arm off her eyes…only to find that Kagome's eyes were filled with tears.

"Mom, did Dad ever break your heart after he told you that he loved you?" Kagome asked. The corner of her mother's mouth lifted into a small smile.

"Boy trouble?" Mrs. Higurashi questioned.

Kagome nodded.

Mrs. Higurashi closed her eyes, "Your father…was amazing. He always made me smile and laugh. He courted me for a whole year and a half before proposing to me. The funny thing is…we weren't the best of friends when we met."

"Really?" Kagome blinked in surprise.

"Really. We met during the last year of high school. He never took school seriously…the exact opposite of me. While I'd be at home studying my head off, your father was always going off to parties. He was always asking me on dates. Every time, I refused and told him I'd never go on a date with a person who couldn't take school seriously."

Kagome sniffed, "And then what?"

"Well…after a month of asking me on dates and getting rejected…your father changed. It was almost like a miracle actually. I began to notice that he stopped hanging around his partying friends. Instead, he started hanging around me… he got down to business more…and we got to learn more about each other."

Mrs. Higurashi blushed, "And then a few months later, he asked me out again…I thought about how much he'd changed and I said yes. And then the courting began. When we were in the middle of college, he proposed to me and we got married."

"How sweet," Kagome smiled.

"Yes," Mrs. Higurashi said with a distant look in her eyes. "Your father was a wonderful man. It's a shame he passed away. I loved him so much…I still do. He never purposely tried to break my heart."

She blinked and smiled down at her daughter, "I'm sure that…if the person who broke your heart really loves you, they'll show you that they really do in one way or another."

* * *

"Get up," a cold voice echoed through Inuyasha's room. Inuyasha was back in his bed, his blankets over his head again. When Inuyasha heard the voice, his eyes flickered open.

That was his brother's voice. What the hell was _Sesshoumaru_ doing in his room?

"I said, _get up_," Sesshoumaru repeated, walking over to Inuyasha and throwing off the blankets. "You've been depressed all day and I'm tired of constantly hearing about it from Shippou."

"Leave me alone," Inuyasha grumbled.

"It's love trouble, isn't it?" Sesshoumaru grunted. "Either that, or we're having a shortage on ramen."

When Inuyasha didn't say anything, Sesshoumaru snapped.

"Stop being a pathetic loser!" he roared. "If this _is_ love trouble, be a man and get back up on your feet so you can _solve the problem_!"

"I can't."

"Well then, at least stop moping in your room feeling sorry for yourself! Either do something about the problem or get over it! Now get downstairs and _eat_!" Sesshoumaru ordered. "If I don't see you down in five minutes, I'll haul you down myself!"

With that said, Sesshoumaru stalked to the door and headed back downstairs.

Inuyasha sighed and sat up, preferring not to make his older brother madder than he already was. Sesshoumaru's words rang through his head.

_If this is love trouble, be a man and get back up on your feet so you can solve the problem!_

Then, for the first time that day, Inuyasha smiled, "Imagine that. Sesshoumaru actually tried giving me advice."

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: Saturday, December 24, Christmas Eve :&:o:&:o:&:**

**8:00 PM **

Almost a whole week had passed by…and there had been no word from Inuyasha since the day Kagome had told him off.

'I guess…he really _was_ using me,' Kagome thought grimly.

"Kagome, stop looking so gloomy!" Sango demanded, skidding to a stop beside her best friend. They were ice-skating on the large pond at the park. The water had frozen over in time for the holidays and now, the deep pond was filled with people ice-skating. "I know you're depressed about Inuyasha and the whole curse thing, but _get over it_!"

Kagome turned to her friend in astonishment, "How do _you_ know about the curse?"

"Miroku told me," Sango admitted. "But it's only because Inuyasha let him do it. According to Miroku, Inuyasha's been really depressed."

"Yeah, depressed that his chance to break the curse has gone out the window," Kagome snorted.

"Why are you so pessimistic?" Sango shook her head. "You never know. There's a good possibility that Inuyasha really does love you."

"If he did, he would've done something to fix this problem by now."

"I give up. You're too stubborn to listen to anything I say," Sango sighed, earning herself a glare. "Hey, there's Miroku! I'll catch you later, okay?"

Kagome watched as Sango skated off toward the other end of the pond where Miroku stood.

As well as Inuyasha.

* * *

"There she is, Inuyasha," Miroku nodded toward Kagome in the distance. "I told you to use your time wisely. You only have until midnight now. This is your final chance to make up with her, you know. Either that, or you can count on saying goodbye to your hanyou form forever."

"Maybe it'd be better that way," Inuyasha turned his head away, sticking his gloved hands into the pockets of his thick jacket.

"Don't be pessimistic," Miroku pressured.

"Can it. At least I came out here today...otherwise, I'd be in my room right now."

"Moping."

"No, _safe_. Safe from having all these people see me if I accidentally sneeze and change into a dog."

"Forget about that. Just go make up with Kagome. If you had to be true to your heart once in your life, now would be the time. Anyways, I'm off. Sango's heading towards us."

Miroku started waving and calling out Sango's name. When she reached them, Miroku greeted her with a kiss on the cheek…and Sango greeted him with a slap when he groped her bottom. After saying goodbye to Inuyasha, the two headed away together.

* * *

**8:28 PM **

Every time Inuyasha decided to go to Kagome and talk to her, he would always change his mind when he was halfway there to her and then skate back to the other end of the pond.

"Damn, why is this so hard?" he cursed. All he could do was stand there and stare at her while she slowly skated in small loops on the other end. He squeezed his eyes tightly together.

_If this is love trouble, be a man and get back up on your feet so you can solve the problem!_

Inuyasha opened his eyes again, clenched his teeth, and slowly started to skate toward Kagome again…this time, with no intention to stop until he reached her.

* * *

**8:30 PM **

He was coming toward her.

"What should I do?" Kagome panicked. She desperately looked around and saw an empty section nearby. "There!"

She skated toward the vacant area, trying to avoid Inuyasha.

She was skating so fast that she literally felt the blades of her ice-skates grinding into the ice. She quickly peeked behind her and saw him catching up.

Kagome made her strides longer and then, when she set her foot hard against the frozen water, the blade of her skate became jammed in a large split in the ice.

Then, she heard a cracking noise.

"What the-" her eyes widened.

"Kagome! Get away from there!" she heard Inuyasha shout behind her.

Before Kagome could do anything, the ice beneath her broke apart and she felt herself being plunged into dark and chilly water.

That was when she realized that she couldn't swim.

* * *

Inuyasha threw off his scarf and dived into the large hole in the ice in which Kagome had fallen mere seconds ago.

He had been so close to reaching her.

'Damn, why'd she have to run away from me!' he thought angrily. He felt his whole body flinch once he made contact with the freezing water.

It was dark. He'd have to save her fast otherwise he wouldn't even be able to _find_ her. This was probably one of the few times that he was happy to be half-demon. Inuyasha's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. He couldn't see Kagome anywhere.

She knew how to swim…right? If she did, she would've been trying to head back up to the surface by now.

He swam deeper into the water.

'Kagome, _where are you_?' he looked around desperately. 'I never got to make up with you!'

How long he searched, he had no idea. It felt like an eternity to him. Finally, Inuyasha spotted a dark motionless figure. He swam toward it and found an unconscious Kagome. She'd sunk quite a distance under the water.

'Oh, Kami, is she dead?'

He wrapped an arm around her and started heading to the surface. By now, his body was numb from the cold water.

Inuyasha squinted to find the hole through which he'd entered the water, 'I can't see anything! And I'm losing air…'

The hole came into sight a brief moment later. He saw red flashes. Did ambulances come?

Inuyasha felt his vision fading and his energy dissolving. He was blacking out. They were only a few yards from the hole now. With as much energy as he could gather, he thrust Kagome's motionless body to the surface. He saw hands immediately sticking into the water to pull her out.

Inuyasha stopped where he was, too tired to swim any further.

'I don't care if we didn't make up…as long as she's alive…that's all that matters,' Inuyasha thought, his eyes closing as the numbness began to overwhelm him.

And then, he began sinking back into the cold darkness.

* * *

**11:00 PM **

"Kagome…Kagome…_wake up_."

Kagome's eyes snapped open. Sango's tear-streamed face stared back at her.

"Kagome!" Sango cried, standing up from the chair she was sitting in and throwing her arms around her friend. "You've been knocked out for about two hours! Kami, I thought you died!"

"What…happened?" Kagome murmured, looking around. She was dressed in a hospital gown, laying in a hospital bed with dozens of thick covers thrown over her.

Sango let go of her friend, "You fell through the ice, remember? I saw it happen. Thank goodness Inuyasha was close by. He dove in after you and pulled you up to the surface. You were unconscious by the time you were back above the surface."

Sango looked down at her lap, "But then…Inuyasha…he…"

Kagome's breath caught in her throat, "He _what_?"

"We didn't see him come up after you…the paramedics that came in the ambulances had to arrange it so that the ice in the section you fell through was taken away so that a group of people could go into the water to find him. And when they found him…he was unconscious like you had been…but in an immensely worse state."

Kagome threw the covers off her body, ignoring the chill that swept through her entire self, and sat up, "Where is he? Tell me where he is."

"Miroku's with him. And your family is coming. Don't you want to wait for them?"

"_Tell me where he is_"

"He's in the room at the other end of the hall."

Kagome stood up, wobbled, straightened herself up, and briskly made her way there. She ignored the outcries from the nurses she encountered in the hall who told her she shouldn't be up.

"Inuyasha…Inuyasha…please tell me he's okay…" Kagome whispered. She reached his room. Miroku, who was sadly looking down at his best friend, became startled when he saw Kagome at the doorway.

"Kagome? What are you doing here?" he asked with concern. "You should be resting."

Kagome pulled up a chair beside Miroku and asked, "How is he?"

Miroku eyed her intently before answering, "The doctors have done all they can. It's up to how Inuyasha reacts now."

Kagome gave him a grim nod and glanced at the clock that hung on the wall.

**11:41 PM**

"Hey, just to let you know…Inuyasha loves you, Kagome," Miroku said suddenly. "He wasn't using you to break the curse…okay, I shouldn't say that. He _was _using you at the beginning, but then in the end, he fell in love with you. I mean, he even _proved_ that he loved you by risking his life for you a few hours ago."

The words of Kagome's mother all swam back to Kagome's head at that moment.

_If the person who broke your heart really loves you, they'll show you that they really do in one way or another_.

'Inuyasha,' Kagome felt tears pricking at her eyes.

Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder, "Do you want some time alone with him?"

She nodded.

Miroku gave Inuyasha's hand a pat before heading out of the room and closing the door behind him.

During the next minutes, there was nothing but the sound of the machines in the room and heavy breathing from Inuyasha.

**11:53 PM**

Kagome transferred over to the chair Miroku was previously sitting in and clasped Inuyasha's hands within her own. They were ice cold. She took one of her hands and lightly brushed his bangs from his closed eyes.

It was a sad sight. His face was pale…he almost looked dead. The only thing that convinced her that he wasn't dead was the machine beside the bed that showed Inuyasha's heartbeat. Then again, the monitor showed that his heartbeat wasn't doing too well either.

Kagome silently ran her fingers through Inuyasha's hair and then, ran her fingertips against his cold mouth.

**11:57 PM**

"I'm sorry for not believing you when you said that you really did love me," Kagome's voice cracked as the tears she tried holding back started flowing down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

**11:58 PM**

Kagome laid her head against Inuyasha's chest as she cried.

And then she heard it. The beeping noises emitted from the heart monitor beside them began to quicken. Kagome quickly lifted her head up and stared at the monitor. The wave lines on the screen were growing flatter and flatter.

Kagome redirected her attention to Inuyasha, "Kami, is he_ dieing_?"

She quickly glanced at the door. Shouldn't the nurses be barging in right now or something?

She was alarmed when she heard his breathing become shallower. His hands that she held were growing colder.

**11:59 PM**

Kagome found that her cries were becoming sobs.

"Don't die on me," she told Inuyasha's motionless body frantically. "_Don't die on me, Inuyasha!_"

The one window in the room was open. In the distance, a clock tower began the twelve chimes for 12 o' clock midnight.

One…two…three…

"I never answered you that day when we were on the ferris wheel at the amusement park," Kagome whispered. "I should have."

Four…five…six…

Her hand tightened around his. She stood up.

Seven…eight…

By now, the beeping noise was emitted at a fast speed. A fresh new wave of tears started pouring from her eyes.

"Inuyasha…I never got to…I never got to tell you…" Kagome said with a barely audible voice as she leaned down closer to his face.

Nine…ten…eleven…

"I love you."

Then, on the twelfth chime, Kagome closed her eyes and pressed her mouth against Inuyasha's chilled lips, tears still running down her face.

'You want us to be together…don't you, Inuyasha?' she asked him in her mind, tightening her hold on his hand. 'If you leave…what am I going to do without you?'

A moment later, she felt an arm wrap around her and pull her closer, making the kiss deeper. Kagome pulled away and found her gazing down at Inuyasha, whose face was now a healthy shade. The hand she held was now warm. The beeping noise had slowed down to a steady, normal rhythm. She didn't have to look at the heart monitor to know that it was showing strong heart waves.

For awhile, the two did nothing but stare into each other's eyes.

Then, Inuyasha smiled, "…Kagome."

The curse had been broken.

* * *

A/N: Ah, I started crying when I was typing this chapter. **X.X**

Am I sensitive, or what? Hehe. One more chapter!

Please review!


	7. The End

**True to Your Heart**

A/N: Well, this is it everyone. I intended this story to end on Christmas because it is, after all, a Christmas story (that's why I've been updating so much this week and rushing the storyline). It's hard to believe I completed a story in seven chapters-usually, my fics have way more chapters than that (not including my one-shot).

Although I enjoyed writing this story, there is going to be no sequel to this fanfiction.

Thanks for all the support you've all given me! You guys are the best!

* * *

Chapter 7: The End

**:&:o:&:o:&: Sunday, December 25, Christmas Day :&:o:&:o:&:**

It was late morning.

Inuyasha picked up an unwrapped, medium-sized box from the floor and stuck it under his right arm.

"Well, I'm off," he said, opening the front door.

"You're leaving?" Shippou whined, scurrying over to him and tugging at Inuyasha's black pants. "_Already_?"

Inuyasha bent down and ruffled Shippou's hair, "Yeah, I promised someone that I'd spend the afternoon with them today."

He smiled, "I'll be back in the evening in time for the gift exchanging after dinner. Don't worry."

"Alright," Shippou frowned. "Hey…you aren't going to go ice skating, are you?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "After what happened yesterday, I don't think I'll go ice skating ever again."

"I was so worried and Rin was crying. She was afraid that you'd died."

"What can I say?" Inuyasha shrugged. "Love makes you do crazy things."

"Then I won't fall in love!" Shippou declared.

Inuyasha chuckled, "You will, just watch. You may say that now, but when you're older, you'll meet someone who you'll want to spend your entire life with. And when you do, you'll find that love is actually a wonderful experience."

Shippou blinked, "Uh…okay."

Sesshoumaru walked into the hallway and began heading into another room.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha called out.

His older brother halted to a stop and turned.

"What?" he asked uninterestingly.

"I never thanked you for the advice you gave me," Inuyasha said, turning his head away. "Without you…I don't think I would've been able to solve my problem. So, thank you."

With that said, Inuyasha walked out of the house with the box still underneath his arm, closing the door behind him with his free hand.

A few seconds passed. Sesshoumaru stared at the closed door. Did Inuyasha just thank him? During all the years that they've lived together, Inuyasha had _never_ thanked him.

"Who was that, and what happened to my idiot brother?"

* * *

Inuyasha strolled through the park and slowed to stop when he spotted a familiar miko walking toward him.

"Hello, Inuyasha. I see that you broke the curse in time," Kikyo sniffed.

"Yeah," Inuyasha grumbled back. "And according to Kagome, I almost died around that time…but then, I 'miraculously' recovered.'

Kikyo slammed a fist onto one of her hands, "Oh, that's right. I forgot to tell you that there'd be side effects that you'd feel during the last minutes of the curse."

Inuyasha stared. Side effects?

"You know," Kikyo smiled broadly. "Like the time when I first placed the curse on you and you felt that pain when you first transformed into a dog?"

So yesterday in the hospital while Kagome was in the room with him...he hadn't been dying? Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, you deserved the curse since you were being a rude jerk," Kikyo said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to answer her insult with one of his own, but then thought the better of it, "You know what? I'm actually glad you put that curse on me."

Kikyo was taken aback, "W-what? You are?"

"Yes. It brought Kagome and me together. If that curse hadn't been put on me, I'd still be enemies with her," Inuyasha said briefly. "So, thank you."

Kikyo smiled smugly.

Inuyasha began walking past her, "And I hope that I never bump into you again."

He heard her give a 'humph'.

"Well, don't worry about it!" she yelled after him. "I'm leaving the city today anyway! And who in their right mind would want to live in a city with a jerk like you!"

Inuyasha ignored her. However, when he heard a shriek and a loud splash, he glanced behind him and saw that Kikyo was sitting in a puddle like the first time he'd met her.

"Aiee!" she wailed. "I'm all wet!"

Inuyasha continued walking along the path.

When he was a long and safe distance from her, he burst out laughing.

* * *

In a short period of time, Inuyasha reached the front door of Higurashi Shrine.

Inuyasha transferred the box he held from under his right arm to his left. Then, he rang the doorbell and tugged at his red turtleneck sweater with his right hand as he patiently waited for someone to answer the door. When the door opened, Inuyasha found him face to face with a smiling Kagome.

"Merry Christmas!" she said cheerfully. She was dressed in a red plaid skirt and white sweater, and a green scarf was wrapped around her neck.

"Merry Christmas," Inuyasha smiled back. He settled the box he held onto the floor as Kagome jumped at him and gave him an enormous hug.

"How are you?" Kagome asked when they pulled away to look into each other's faces.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Same here. Except, when you came, I felt much better."

"Hm, is that so?" Inuyasha tilted his head to the side. "By the way, were you the one who hung that mistletoe above the door? And if so, did you do it on purpose?"

"Maybe," Kagome gave him an innocent look.

"It doesn't matter," Inuyasha said as his mouth brushed against hers. "I was going to give you a kiss anyway."

The two got lost in their own world as they shared a long kiss.

A moment later, Grandpa coughed behind them, "Ahem. Would you two get inside and close the door? The heat is escaping from inside the house."

Inuyasha and Kagome drew apart blushing.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

Grandpa gave a grunt and went back into the house. Inuyasha withdrew his arms from Kagome and picked up the box he'd settled on the doorstep. Right when he straightened up, Kagome pointed to the sky and exclaimed,

"Look, Inuyasha! It's snowing!"

Inuyasha's gaze lifted toward the sky and, sure enough, saw snowflakes drifting down.

"This is perfect!" Kagome laughed. "A white Christmas! This day can't possibly get any better."

She started walking to the living room.

'I wouldn't be too sure about that,' Inuyasha thought with a smile. He followed after her and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"This is for you," Kagome said as she held out a bulky gift-wrapped package. The two of them were alone in the living room. They had both settled down on the floor in front of the fireplace and were now exchanging gifts.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, "You need to work on your gift-wrapping skills."

Kagome smacked the present against his arm with a glare. Inuyasha took the present from her and opened it, finding a red scarf.

"I made it myself," Kagome said happily as Inuyasha unfolded the scarf and held it out in front of him.

"You know, you should work on your knitting skills too," he remarked.

Kagome shoved him, "Stop being mean."

"I was kidding. I love it…especially since it's from you," Inuyasha laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I lost my other scarf when I was trying to save you yesterday anyway."

His paused and then asked, "Hey, just out of curiosity…when we were in the hospital…did you kiss me so that the curse on me would be broken?"

Kagome sat with a thoughtful expression on her face, "No, I kissed you because I thought you were dying. I forgot all about the curse then...why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Inuyasha replied. He put the box he'd brought with him onto his lap and held it in front of Kagome.

"This is for you," he smiled. Kagome stared down at the plain large box before fingering the flaps and then slowly pulling them open.

Inside the box, lying on a blanket, was a sleeping white-furred puppy.

"Oh, Kami! You got me a dog!" Kagome cried out. She grasped her hands around Inuyasha's face and dragged him toward her in a fierce kiss. Inuyasha had to tear himself away to take a breath. He wiped an arm across his mouth and began laughing.

"Okay, I get your message. I love you too," he shook his head.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome took out the sleeping puppy from the box and set it on her lap. The puppy awoke and its eyes opened, revealing amber colored eyes.

"Why, he looks so much like your 'Inuyasha-chan' form," Kagome remarked. She carefully picked the dog up into her arms and craddled it like a baby.

"That's one of the reasons why I got him for you," Inuyasha explained. "I got this little guy for you mainly because you've always wanted a dog…but I also got him because he looks like 'Inuyasha-chan', which will remind you of the curse that brought us both together."

"Oh, believe me, I won't forget about that curse," Kagome assured him firmly, tickling the puppy's stomach which in turn made it whine. "Actually…it was more like a blessing, don't you think?"

"It was a curse to me. I changed into a dog every time I sneezed, remember?"

"And you almost saw me naked that day too…" Kagome glanced at him. "You didn't see anything did you?"

"Well…I _did_ see that you had long legs…"

Kagome blushed and turned away, "Pervert."

"I said that as a_ compliment_."

"Liar."

"You say that, but you know that deep inside, you're really flattered."

"You're not copying my homework, Inuyasha."

"It was worth a shot."

"I think I'm going to name this little guy 'Inuyasha-chan'," Kagome decided as she looked down at the small dog in her arms. "I don't know why, but I just like that name."

She turned to Inuyasha, "By the way, Souta said that, because of you, he's now less afraid of dogs. He told me about what you did to him. I think it was real sweet of you."

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Mrs. Higurashi called out before either of the two could stand up. A minute later, Miroku and Sango walked into the living room. Sango wore an angry expression on her face and Miroku had a red handprint on his cheek.

"Who put that mistletoe underneath the front door?" Sango demanded. "Miroku tried to kiss me while we were under it!"

"But, Sango, it's tradition," Miroku protested. "_Everyone_ knows that traditions shouldn't be broken."

"Tradition my butt," Sango hissed.

Kagome stood up with Inuyasha-chan in her arms and walked over to the doorway where Sango and Miroku were standing.

"Hey, I have a present for you, Sango," Kagome said, attempting to calm down her best friend. The anger dissolved from Sango's face.

Sango piped, "I have one for you too, it's right here…"

As Sango fumbled through her pockets, Miroku walked over to Inuyasha.

"Merry Christmas, buddy," he greeted as he sat down beside the hanyou.

"Merry Christmas," Inuyasha grinned. "You know, you're not going to get Sango's heart by making her constantly mad."

Miroku groaned, "I can tell."

"Don't worry, she'll get over it quick. We can all tell that she loves you just as much as you love her."

"Yeah, despite her actions, I'm sure that's true."

The two watched the two teenage girls who were still near the doorway all the way across the room. Standing by the doorway was a Christmas tree that twinkled with lights and ornaments. In front of the tree, Kagome and Sango exchanged gifts and squealed at the presents they'd received from one another.

Miroku let out a deep breath.

"Well, you did it. You broke the curse in time and you fell in love with Kagome," he said to Inuyasha.

"Yup," Inuyasha responded.

"So do you think you were true to your heart during this whole curse thing?"

Inuyasha turned his view toward Kagome. She was playing with the dog he'd given her while Sango was talking to her. When Kagome caught Inuyasha's eye, she smiled at him. He smiled back.

"Yes," Inuyasha finally said. "I believe I was."

* * *

**:&:o:&:o:&: THE END :&:o:&:o:&:**

* * *

A/N: Well that's it. I hope you guys enjoyed this fanfiction. **:D** Thanks for all the reviews you've given me!

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays**!

PLEASE REVIEW (especially since this is the last chapter **x.x**)!


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